Rory McIlroy is back in action this week as the DP World Tour’s UAE swing starts at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Yas Links is the host venue for the third year running, and McIlroy is the red-hot favourite to tighten his grip on the Race to Dubai.
The four-time major winner is already in Abu Dhabi ahead of the event and has faced the press for the first time since the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
McIlroy discussed the potential LIV Golf-PGA Tour merger and was also asked about what he’s been doing behind the scenes ahead of this week’s event.
Rory McIlroy delivers swing update ahead of Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
During his media duties on Wednesday, McIlroy shared insight on the work he’s been doing in various studios in recent weeks.
“So the studio was at home in Florida, the Bear’s Club,” McIlroy revealed. “And then I was up in New York for a few days and found a swing studio there in the city to practise at for a little bit. So I think it’s not necessarily that I couldn’t make the way I was swinging work.
“It was just that it relied a little bit more on timing and match-ups of my transition and a bunch of different technical things. I just wanted to clean it up a little bit. Clean up the motion to make it a little more efficient.”
McIlroy continued: “And when I’m in the studio and make my rehearsals of what I want to do, I like the way it looks. It looks a little bit more the way I want to swing and the positions that I want to hit.”
The Northern Irishman also admitted that he’s been critical of himself after failing to win when being in contention.
“For me, it’s something just to make my golf swing more efficient, and then if it is more efficient, then it means it’s not going to break down as much under pressure,” McIlroy added. “If I look at my year, the one thing that I would criticise myself on is the fact that I’ve had these chances to win.
“But then when I’ve had these chances to win, okay, some may have been because of the putter, but others have been because of my ball-striking, which let me down as a crucial point. I think just trying to clean all that up so that whenever I do get under that pressure, you know, I can have a hundred per cent trust in my swing and know what’s going to happen.”
Rory McIlroy closing in on Race to Dubai history
Over the next two weeks, McIlroy is looking to reach six Race to Dubai titles and go level with Spanish legend Seve Ballesteros.
Beyond Seve’s record, Colin Montgomerie holds eight order of merit honours, which were secured within a lifespan of 12 years.
McIlroy, however, has publicly claimed he’s targeting nine Race to Dubai titles, which would make him the most successful DP World Tour player of all time.
McIlroy’s first Race to Dubai title came 12 years ago, in 2012, and he earned nearly $6 million. The Northern Irishman is now seeking a third successive victory after claiming the title in 2022 and 2023.
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